


Tron: Redemption

by jsaint34



Category: Tron - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Multi, Tron - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-22
Updated: 2014-10-17
Packaged: 2018-02-18 08:25:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 20,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2341637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jsaint34/pseuds/jsaint34
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A story set after Tron: Legacy.  There has been talk of a third movie in the series.  This is a fan fiction story of how I thought it might go.  I don't own any of the characters here.  I'm just a fan of the Tron movies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sea of Simulation

Prologue: Sam had just returned from the grid. He had found his father after twenty years only to lose him again. He knows that Kevin made an act of self-sacrificing bravery when he reintegrated with CLU. The pain of loss still hurt, but he was also proud of his father for giving his life to help him escape. Inside the arcade Alan was waiting, having received a page. Sam would inform Alan he was taking Encom back and appointing him Chairman. Outside Flynn’s Arcade, Quorra was waiting for Sam. As they rode away on his motorcycle, Quorra would see her first sunrise while Sam contemplated what changing the world would mean for both of them.

He didn’t know how long he drifted, days, weeks. As he slowly woke up he was surrounded by crushing blackness. His memories were slower to recover. As his motor functions returned he found himself swimming, or he thought he was swimming. As his consciousness returned he began to realize where he was. He had fallen in to the Sea of Simulation after a fight, but a fight with whom. As he broke the surface, he found his way to land. Slowly he begins to remember the light jet battle, trying to stop fugitives. One of them seemed familiar, a face from his past. He then begins to remember a voice, “Rinzler, take the shot! Finish the Game!” As he watched in his memory he sees one light jet pull off from the chase, thinking it was strange until he remembers that was his action. Then the whole fight comes back. He is flying a circle over the three person light jet, looking down he sees the Creator, Kevin Flynn. He couldn’t hear what Flynn said, but the movement of the words came out as: “Tron, what have you become?” He flashes back to after he pulled out of the battle, and he is flying his jet towards the other pilot, and “I fight for the Users” springs up and he says the words aloud again. He now remembers everything, CLU beating him in combat while he fought desperately to help his friend Flynn escape. Being repurposed to become Rinzler. Most of all he remembers who he was before. The words come out strong.  
“I am Tron.”

Tron slowly stands up, regaining his strength and begins to make his way back to the city, hoping that it survived CLU’s destruction.


	2. First Month

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in the real world, Sam and Quorra in her first month off the Grid.

Quorra has been in the real world for a little over a month now. She has adapted well to her new life. Thanks to Sam she has been able to increase her knowledge of life off the Grid. The first few days of course were strange. She had always been a warrior. Being the last ISO, she had to constantly watch her back for threats. Even with Flynn protecting her she was never truly safe as long as the Black Guards were around. In Sam’s world she found a way to relax, after she moved in with him, at least until he could help her find a place of her own. She started having new feelings that she was not accustomed too, because at first she only felt respect and admiration for Sam, for saving her life, and wanting to help him with his grief over losing his father a second time.  
“Morning, Sam,” Quorra is sitting on the couch where she slept and greets him as he exits his bedroom.  
“Morning, Quorra. I was about to make breakfast, you hungry?”  
“Starving, what have we got?”  
Sam goes to refrigerator and it is mostly empty. Getting back in charge of Encom has left him little time to shop.   
“Not much, some frozen waffles, a few apples. I didn’t know taking control back of the company would be this hard.”  
“Alan thinks you’re doing fine. He said so last night at dinner.”  
“Yeah, but that’s because he’s there to back me up. I’m not sure I could do this without him.”  
“Sam stop beating yourself up. Lora respects you too. You brought her back in and named her Head of Software design.”  
“Yeah, Dillinger wasn’t too happy about that. He and Mackey seem to resent me because they think I didn’t take them seriously.”  
“You shouldn’t worry about what they think. Alan is able to keep them in line,” Quorra reassures him. “He’s a good man; I can see why your father trusted him.”  
“Hey, speaking of Lora, she wants to meet you.”  
“Great, we can stop by today, after we do the grocery shopping. What else do you have planned?”  
“Actually, Quorra; I…” Sam pauses.  
“You have to work don’t you?”  
“Yeah, it’s a board meeting. Someone was able to upload a virus into OS 12. Took down the entire network when they hacked the system.”  
“So we won’t be able to get lunch together today,” Quorra says, sounding disappointed.  
“We’re still going to have lunch together. I’ve been needing to test ride my Dad’s bike. Why don’t you take mine, and do some exploring. Then you can meet me at Encom Tower at noon.”  
This cheers Quorra up and she is excited to learn more about the new city she is living in.  
“Sounds great, I’ll see you then.”   
As Sam is leaving he remembers what he was going to ask Quorra and reenters his apartment.  
“Hey, what do you say to Chinese for dinner?”   
Since they started living together, she has learned a lot about food, and Chinese was one of the first things he introduced her too. She had developed a fondness for Asian cuisine.  
“You know me too well, Sam Flynn. I’ll see you for lunch.” Before he leaves again, Quorra walks over and gives him a kiss on the cheek.  
“Umm…okay, see you then.” Sam is confused that she kissed him, even if it was just on the cheek, he was under the impression that she only thought of him as a friend. As he leaves again, Quorra speaks the words she’s not sure of, and that she doesn’t want him to hear yet.  
“I think I’m falling in love with you Sam.”


	3. Tron City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tron has made his way back to the city. He meets an old friend.

For what seemed like hours, Tron made his way back to the city Flynn named for him. He knows he has to be on alert, because of the destruction CLU made him cause as Rinzler. He has no doubts that the programs that were rebelling will have no qualms about derezzing him on sight. As soon as he arrives he sees a program standing guard that he never thought he would see again.  
“State your business here program,” she says.  
“I’m here to…” Before he can finish, the female program sees the circuitry on his chest and even though it’s a different color, this program in front of her was responsible for the deaths of her countless allies.  
“How dare you come back here, Rinzler! You should have been derezzed with CLU over the Sea of Simulation.” Tron begins to defend himself, but without drawing his identity disk. As he falls back, she notices that he is not taking the offensive, and realizes something is not right about him. Her thoughts would be confirmed when he speaks.  
“Yori, stop! I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not Rinzler anymore!”  
“Yeah right. You walk in here and pretend to not want to hurt anyone. You were CLU’s top enforcer. I can’t believe you.”  
Realizing she means to seriously hurt him, Tron only has one choice, lower his helmet so she can see his face. As the helmet retracts, Yori drops her baton and disk, seeing him for the first time in years.  
“Tron? It can’t be, we all believed you died in battle with CLU while trying to save Flynn. How are you here now?” She places a hand on his face where CLU’s identity disk scarred him.  
“CLU couldn’t kill me. He knew just like Sark did that I was better than him. But Sark was overconfident, CLU was conniving. He captured me, and repurposed me to become Rinzler. All those things I did, all the programs I derezzed, I can never…”  
Yori interrupts him, trying to help him see it wasn’t his fault.  
“Tron, you had no control over what CLU made you do. That’s what repurposing does. It twists you, makes you weaker, it takes you apart from the inside, until you don’t know yourself anymore. That’s how CLU takes advantage.”  
“But Yori, even if it was Rinzler doing all those things, I was still a part of it. I may have been inside but I couldn’t stop it. I almost killed Flynn and his son.”  
“Tron, you don’t know what happened do you?”  
“I regained my purpose to fight for the Users when I saw Flynn. After I flew my light jet at CLU’s he would beat me and steal my baton so I fell into the Sea.”  
“Flynn saved us. He sacrificed himself to reintegrate CLU. His son escaped with the last ISO. We’re free.”  
“Free? No more CLU. Freedom comes with a price Yori. I bet even now, one of CLU’s loyalists is plotting to pick up where he left off.”  
“Rebellion is still open. Many of CLU’s remaining soldiers have been derezzed. If there are still some out there we can still fight. For now though, I have to get you somewhere safe, at least until I can meet with the rebel leaders and ease them into accepting that Tron is back.”  
“Yori, I should be held accountable for Rinzler’s actions. I have to take responsibility.”  
“No, Tron. You’re not going to take the fall for this. The Rebellion needs you. I don’t care what it takes; you are going to fight for the Users again.”   
Yori drags him off to her safe house to protect him, and another guard takes her place. Unfortunately for Tron, he would spread the word about the unexpected resurrection. Attacks would come.


	4. Board Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam meets with the Encom Board of Directors. They are trying to figure out what was installed in OS 12.

Sam hates having to meet with the Board. They all know it, and sometimes they don’t want him there. This meeting in particular takes a more negative stance because of the virus, and he was the one to upload the OS 12 file to the web for free.  
“This really isn’t something we should take lightly,” Richard Mackey says. “Ever since OS 12 was released for free on the web, every software developer has been trying to duplicate it,” he says looking directly at Sam.  
“Richard, stop for a minute. Sam had no way of knowing that our OS would be this easily hacked,” Alan speaks up to defend his friend. “More importantly, because it was hacked, we have to look into the security directives that were written in. The answers we need may lie in the codes there.”  
“No, that’s not possible, I wrote the codes myself, the security was foolproof,” Edward Dillinger says, also wanting to blame Sam.  
“Look, Edward, We know you’re a great software engineer, we just have to examine this from all angles if we’re going to figure this out. I’ve already got a team of the best code writers looking at every algorithm, trying to spot weaknesses that could have functioned as a back door,” Lora defends Sam as well.  
Sam has been listening intently the entire time, and his thoughts turn to the possibility of an inside job. He has been scanning the room, assessing who would have the most to gain by helping upload the virus. He can only rule out Alan and Lora.  
“All right, arguing over this isn’t going to help solve the crisis any quicker. We’re not going to point fingers or throw wild accusations around. We all need to work together to fix this,” Alan says bringing an end to the discussion.  
The rest of the Board all grow silent as the meeting ends and they head off to meet with the design and security teams. Alan and Lora Bradley stay behind to talk to Sam.  
“Sam, you shouldn’t take what Dillinger and Mackey said to seriously. Edward is still upset that you passed him over for promotion to bring me back,” Lora says.  
“And Richard has never liked me, or your Dad,” Alan adds in.  
“Guys I know you want to defend me, I appreciate it. As long as I run this company, they’re always going to blame me. I can handle it,” Sam says.  
“We know you can, Sam,” Alan reassures him. “Kevin would be proud of you for how you’re handling this responsibility.”  
“Listen, before we break, I didn’t want to say this in front of the rest of the board, but is it possible this could have been an inside job?”  
“Are you serious Sam? Who would have the gall to attempt that,” Lora asks.  
“I’m not sure, but I ruffled a lot of feathers when I took over. Someone could want to take me out of the picture.”  
“I’ll consider that possibility, Sam. Dillinger’s Dad has been angry ever since ’82, when it was revealed he stole Flynn’s game ideas. I’ll look into it,” Alan tells them both.  
“We’ll both look into it,” Lora reaffirms. “Anyway, it’s noon. Isn’t Quorra meeting you for lunch?”  
“Yeah, she is, and if I’m late, I’m going to be in hot water. I told her you want to meet her Lora. We’ll come by after lunch. As they break, Sam heads back to his office, and Quorra is already waiting for him.  
“You’re only five minutes late, Sam. You’re improving in your punctuality, Quorra laughs as he enters his office.  
“Didn’t take the elevator this time, it might’ve exploded.”  
Sam and Quorra laugh together at their private joke relating back to the End of Line Club.   
“So, what’s for lunch,” Sam asks after they stop laughing.  
“Well you said you’d be picking up Chinese for dinner, but I couldn’t wait that long.” She pulls out a box of Mushu Pork and one of Moo Goo Gai Pan from Han’s, where she got her first taste of Chinese cuisine.  
“Well, that ruins my plans for dinner, guess I’ll just have to keep those reservations for the Italian restaurant I made on the way here this morning,” Sam says.  
Sam knows that other than Chinese, Quorra has also developed a love for Italian in the past month as well.  
“You’re spoiling me, Sam,” Quorra says. “I’m going to have to hit the gym twice as hard tomorrow.”   
Neither of them mentions the kiss from the morning, it still feels awkward. After they eat, Sam takes Quorra to meet Lora, back in the lower levels where she is working on a new laser.


	5. Meeting Lora Bradley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Quorra finish their lunch, and she finally gets to meet Lora.

Quorra is nervous about meeting Lora Bradley. She’s heard the stories from Sam about the laser she invented. It was what opened up a whole new world for Flynn. The second laser was the one that brought Sam into her life. She’s also curious about what Flynn was like before the Grid, when he was just starting out building her world. Sam can feel her tension; if it were any thicker he could cut it with a knife.  
“Quorra, you all right? Don’t worry about meeting Lora, she’s great.”  
“How do you know I’m worried, Sam?”  
“Because you’re hurting my hand.”   
She didn’t even realize she had taken his hand, and was now squeezing it so hard; both of their knuckles had turned white.  
“Sorry, I’m just excited about meeting someone who knew your father when he was young, and Alan says she created Yori. After Tron disappeared, you know, before we found out he was Rinzler; Yori became one of the toughest programs on the Grid.”  
“I imagine she had something to fight for. Dad said once she and Tron were a couple.”   
As they arrive in Lora’s test facility, they find her making final adjustments to the new laser.  
“Lora, I have someone here you wanted to meet,” Sam says.  
“Come on down, just be careful; the laser is still running a little hot.”  
“Lora, this is…”  
“I’m Quorra.” She didn’t let Sam finish, she just walked up and stuck her hand out.  
“Looks like the nervousness wore off fairly quickly,” Sam remarks.  
“It’s nice to meet you Quorra. Sam has told me a lot about you.” Lora is impressed that Quorra is so direct, and she shakes the younger woman’s hand.  
As Lora and Quorra begin to talk, Sam is paged by Alan. The slight interruption startles both the women a little.  
“Alan got you to wear a pager too; huh Sam,” Lora is laughing.  
“Yeah, I know it’s outdated. But apparently cell service down here doesn’t work to well. You two have fun; I better go see what he needs.”   
As Sam leaves, Quorra watches him go, leaving her alone with Lora. When she starts to explain the laser and what it can do, Lora notices that Quorra is barely paying attention.  
“So, have you told him yet?” Lora asks as she places a hand on her new friend’s shoulder.  
Snapping out of her distraction, Quorra is confused.  
“Told who what, Lora?”  
“Sam, have you told him you’re in love with him yet?”  
“In love with Sam,” Quorra repeats. “I admire him, he did save my life, but…” she can’t finish what she wants to say.  
“Really, Quorra, I can see it. You have feelings for him. If you don’t say anything, it will only eat you up inside.”  
“I want to, but I think he just sees me as a friend. I don’t want to pressure him like that.”  
“Are you sure he only sees you that way? You might want to ask him. Think about it.”  
As Quorra thinks about it, Sam is in with Alan, and they are having a similar conversation.  
“Listen Sam, I know you want what’s best for Encom. This whole inside job thing has got you on edge. I want you to do me a favor, let me handle it,” Alan says.  
“I trust that you can handle it Alan. That’s not what has me distracted.”  
“It’s Quorra isn’t it? I see how she looks at you, and I see how you look at her. You have feelings for her.”  
“Maybe I do, Alan. I just thought she only saw me as a friend, until she kissed me on the cheek this morning.”  
“A kiss on the cheek can mean a lot of things, Sam. But a word of advice, you’ll never know what this is between you if you keep hiding it.”  
As Sam leaves Alan’s office he thinks about the advice and the kiss from Quorra. He would wrack his brain the rest of the day, trying to decide if he should bring it up at their dinner.


	6. Hiding out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tron is hiding out in Yori's safe house. He becomes suspicious of the new head of security.

Tron has never been comfortable just sitting around. He knows Yori is trying to protect him until they have a solid plan for revealing that he is back. Their plans would go by the wayside when someone knocked on the safe house door.  
“Yori, are you in there? You haven’t been back to your post for two days.”  
“Who is that,” Tron asks.  
“Sssh,” Yori whispers. “It’s Cypher. He’s been head of security since we heard about CLU.”  
“Yori, I know you’re here. The guard who replaced you said he saw you leaving with an unknown program. What’s odd is that the circuitry reminded him of Rinzler.”  
Yori opens the door, finally speaking to her supervisor, to quell his suspicions.  
“Cypher, you know Rinzler was lost in the battle over the Sea of Simulation. How could he possibly come back here, we would derezz him on sight. Remember that I was also just there to help out. I have control systems for the new solar sailers to work on.”  
“So who was the program you left with,” Cypher asks again.  
“He was injured, I helped him with some directions to the nearest med facility.”  
“So all you were doing was helping an injured program. You won’t mind then if I take a look around in here.”  
“If you must, but I assure you the program went his own way after I gave him those directions.”  
Cypher pushes past Yori and begins to search the building. After about five minutes he finds no other programs present, so he leaves.  
“All is in order, Yori. Sorry to disturb you,” he says.  
She closes the door and Tron walks up behind her.  
“I don’t trust him,” Tron says, startling her.  
“Where did you go that he didn’t find you?”  
“While you were talking to Cypher, I snuck out the back. Yori, how long has he been head of security?”  
“If you think he may be one of CLU’s loyalists, you’re a little far off Tron. He used to be a mechanic. His expertise in combat was what got him the position.”  
“A mechanic? How many mechanics are proficient in combat?”  
“You were gone, the Grid needed every able bodied warrior it could get. Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Yori replies.  
“Still something about Cypher doesn’t seem right. We may still be in open rebellion, but The Guards are still as dangerous as ever. We’ll need to be careful.”  
“You’ll need to be careful, Tron. You’re the one who derezzed hundreds of programs in the games.”  
“Okay, Yori, you still don’t trust me right now. I get it. I know I’ll have to re-earn your trust,” Tron says.  
Little did they know, Tron would prove to be right about Cypher.


	7. Awkward Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dillinger Jr. on the phone with his father and Sam talks with Quorra about the kiss.

After Quorra left, Sam was still unsure of how to bring up the kiss, or even if he should. Alan was handling the situation with the virus, and the security team was hard at work reinforcing the codes. As they got deeper into researching the virus that shut down their system, the possibility of it being an inside job became more and more likely.   
“Sam, I have some news on the virus,” Alan says after he pages his office. “You might want to come down here.”  
“I’m on my way, Alan.” Sam takes the elevator to the security floor, hoping for some news that will assuage his fears of one of his own people being involved. One of the security techs is the first to speak.  
“Sir, we’re not sure how, but whoever hacked the system and planted the virus had access to our security codes. I can only surmise that it was someone with high level clearance.”  
“So you’re saying it was an inside job,” Sam states.  
“Most likely, Sir. Whoever did this was able to cover their tracks to well for us to trace. All the keystrokes were erased.”  
“Whoever it was, can’t have erased everything, keep doing what you can to find out who is behind this.”  
“Yes, Mr. Flynn. Mr. Bradley, if you could, we’ll need your expertise in this. The Tron program you created for the old system may help.”  
“Tron isn’t keyed for this system. But I still know a few tricks that may help in the matter. Sam, it’s getting late, I’m sure we can handle this. I’ll call you if we come up with some solid leads.”  
“Thanks, Alan. I’ll see you later.” As Sam leaves Alan reminds him of their earlier talk.  
“Don’t forget what I said about hiding it Sam. She needs to know how you feel.”  
While Alan and the team get back to work, Sam leaves to pick up Quorra for their dinner date. What neither Alan nor Sam knew is that Edward Dillinger was on the phone, having a conversation that relates directly to the current situation.  
“I know you heard about the virus, Dad,” he says. Encom’s systems have been completely shut down. Security is working to discover the hacker’s identity.”  
“Do they know how you were involved,” Ed Dillinger Sr. asks on the other end of the line.  
“No, I don’t feel right about this though. The original MCP had its problems. It became self-sufficient, and able to over-ride its programming. How do we know this won’t happen again?”  
“Don’t worry, son. The new MCP program I developed cannot become self-aware. It is completely under my control.”  
“I hope you’re right. If anything goes wrong this time, we’re both going to go down for this.”  
As Edward finishes up his awkward conversation with his father, another one is happening between Sam and Quorra at dinner.  
“So, is there any news on the virus that shut the system down,” Quorra asks.  
“Some, but it’s not promising. The only thing we know for certain is that it was an inside job,” Sam replies.  
“Who would want to do this, it doesn’t make any sense.”  
“I don’t know Quorra, but Alan’s working on it. He said he’d let me know if they find anything.”  
Turning their conversation away from work, Quorra has to bring something else up.  
“Sam, listen about this morning…, I think I owe you an explanation.”  
“Quorra, you don’t have to say anything. It was a simple kiss on the cheek, and I…” She interrupts before he can finish.  
“Sam, I need to say this. After you left, Lora and I got to talking. She made it a point to tell me that if I keep something I want to say secret, it’ll eat me up.”  
Thinking he knows what’s coming, Sam puts down his fork and napkin, and takes a drink of water while he patiently waits for Quorra to finish.  
“I’m really not sure how to say this Sam. When you first brought me here, I didn’t know how to feel. I admired you for saving my life. Over this past month though, something has changed. I appreciate you giving me a place to live, and we’ve grown close. Thing is, I think I’ve been developing feelings for you. I’ve never actually experienced love. As an ISO, I had to fight to stay alive. Feelings like this are completely foreign to me.”  
Sam has to think for a few moments at this revelation. Everything he thought she was going to say, wasn’t what she said.  
“Quorra, I’m flattered. You’re right, we have grown close over the past month. I thought you only wanted us to be friends. I didn’t imagine you were starting to feel about me like I feel about you. You saved my life first, on the light cycle grid, and I admired you from the start. You were willing to risk everything for me and my Dad. I’m not really good with these types of feelings either, my Mom died when I was young, and…”  
“You thought your father abandoned you,” Quorra finishes saying this for him.  
“Yeah, when I lost him again it hurt, but it gave me something I’ve not really had in my life.”  
“What was that Sam,” Quorra asks.  
“You,” he replies.  
With his admission, Quorra now knows it was foolish to hide her growing feelings for Sam. For the first time since they left the Grid through the portal, she feels like she really belongs here.


	8. Cypher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tron goes to find out why Cypher bothers him so much. He's not surprised at what he learns from the conversation.

Tron was tired of hiding. Yori had explained to him that what she told Cypher was all a ruse. She was actually meeting with the remaining leaders of the rebellion. Her only request was for him to stay put. He tried, but this level of inaction had gotten to him. While Yori was gone, he made a decision to find out why Cypher bothered him so much. What he found out wouldn’t shock him in the least.  
“Welcome, Cypher. Since you took command of security, The Grid is becoming stabilized. Many of the rebels who rose up after CLU fell, have already been derezzed. Flynn thought he had erased me forever. Now he is gone and I have returned,” The Master Control Program states.  
“All this wouldn’t have been possible without your assistance Master C.”   
As their conversation continues, Tron has been listening. He hears discussions of instituting a new order, and crushing the rebellion. It is the end of the conversation that makes him realize why Cypher seemed so familiar before and why he didn’t trust the head of security.  
“Cypher, you are the latest version of Sark. You are more advanced in every way. The program Tron was able to defeat him and me. He is an afterthought now. I trust that you will not fail as Sark did.”  
“I will not fail. But there are rumors that Tron survived. I heard the stories of his repurposing by CLU. Rinzler was who he became. If Tron is out there, I wish to perfect what CLU did, and bring Rinzler back, eliminating Tron forever.”  
“If you think it can be done, then you must make it your priority. Tron must not be able to defeat me again…” the Master Control Program pauses, sensing a presence.  
“What it is Master Control,” Cypher asks.  
“I sense the presence of a warrior. He has been listening to our conversation.”  
“Where? I will derezz him.”  
Tron knows he has been discovered, and feels there is no reason to hide himself.  
“I’m right here. I should have known the Master Control Program would find a way to reconstitute himself. I didn’t know he’d be so desperate to bring Sark back in a new form,” Tron states confidently.  
“So, the rumors of your survival were true, Tron. I look forward to bringing Rinzler back. When I do, you will derezz every rebel on the grid, and your friend Yori, for her betrayal.”  
“Rinzler will never return. If you think you’re good enough to beat me, Cypher, let’s settle this, right now,” Tron says.  
The battle begins, with Cypher launching the opening salvo. He throws his disk, and Tron easily deflects. As they go back and forth, dodging and attacking, neither one of them has the edge. Tron would admire the upgrades Cypher has received over his predecessor, but he is the enemy. If Cypher wins, Tron and the entire grid are lost. Knowing this helps Tron fight with greater intensity. As Cypher begins to fall back, Tron knows he can win. Seeing an opening, he throws his disk and it connects, derezzing Cypher’s arm. All that’s left is to make the final hit.  
“You’ve lost Cypher. Like Sark lost before you. I protect the Grid. I fight for the Users.”  
“I’ve lost nothing, Tron. You may have won this battle, but the war is still coming!”  
Cypher again proves his superiority to Sark and uses a new teleportation device he had been developing to flee the battle. Tron realizes this is far from over and returns to the safe house he and Yori had been sharing.


	9. Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quorra and Sam the next day. Alan and Lora have a confrontation with the MCP.

After their dinner and the shared revelations of their developing feelings, Sam and Quorra returned to their home, and spent the rest of the night talking. They talked about the world, the Grid, and just getting to know where they both want this to go. As they finally fell asleep in the few hours before the sun came up, a call from Alan would change everything.  
“Sam, did I wake you,” Alan asks when he answers the phone.  
Not fully awake yet, Sam lies.  
“No, Alan, I was just getting up, it’s six a.m. Were you there all night?”  
“Yeah, listen. I know it’s early but you better get down here. We discovered the origin of the virus and who sent into the system.”  
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Sam says.  
Totally alert, Sam quickly gets dressed as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake Quorra, sleeping in the bed beside him. She wakes up anyway, when he kicks the nightstand.  
“Sam, it’s early. Where are you going,” she asks.  
“I have to get to the tower, Alan and the security team found the origin of the virus.”  
“You want me to come with you? I can get…” Quorra pauses as she is still half asleep.  
“No, I can take care of this. We were up really late, get some more sleep. I’ll call you in a couple of hours.”  
She gives Sam’s hand a gentle squeeze as he is leaving, and he gives her a kiss on the forehead. As he takes his Dad's bike to Encom, he is still hoping that the virus was not planted by someone working for him. Twenty minutes later, he, Alan, and Lora are meeting in his office.  
“So, Alan, what’s the news, who did it,” Sam asks.  
“Well, first I should tell you it’s not a virus. I’ll get to who was the cause of it a minute.”  
“It’s not a virus? How did it take down all of our systems,” Sam asks confused.  
“The file that was uploaded was a program. One that any of the older staff would remember very well, your father dealt with it back in ’82.”  
“Tell me it’s not a Master Control Program,” Sam replies.  
“It is, and one similar to, but far more advanced than the previous version. So far, we’re not sure what we’re dealing with,” Alan says.  
“Then we had better find out. The previous MCP hacked the Pentagon, the Kremlin, and God knows what else.”  
“That was all info stored in the databanks,” Lora says.  
“Yeah, and I don’t need you to tell me who was behind this, I already know,” Sam replies. “Dillinger.”  
“Yes, it’s highly likely his father wrote the program, and Ed Jr. installed it with the hopes of bringing Encom down,” Alan is barely able to contain his anger.  
“Then we get him up here and find out what his plan is,” Sam says resolutely.  
“Not wise Sam, we don’t want them to know we’re on to them yet. I’ve got security writing algorithms that will block the MCP from completely rewriting the system,” Lora says. “So far the first of them have a 75% percent success rate.”  
“So what do we do in the meantime,” Sam asks.  
“We wait until they play their hand, then we take them down,” Alan says.  
Sam doesn’t do well with waiting, but he knows Alan is right. He defers to his older friends judgment in the matter. Their meeting ends and Alan and Lora head down to the lower levels where she has finished working on the laser. It is well shielded and the computers down there work independently from the main system, so they hope the MCP hasn’t been able to hack into them.  
“So what are we doing down here, Alan,” Lora asks.  
“You remember when you brought Flynn down here all those years ago. We didn’t believe his story about the world on the other side of the screen. It was the original MCP that put him there. He showed me how he forged the Group Six access. If I can replicate that, maybe I can disable the new MCP.”  
“Well, I guess it’s worth a shot. What if this new version does the same to you, that is a risk,” Lora warns.  
“It is a risk, but we’re running out of time and options. If we don’t do something, this could be a disaster for Encom.”  
As Alan starts taking the steps Kevin did all those years ago, the Master Control Program speaks to him.  
“You shouldn’t be trying this, Bradley. Flynn pushed me like you are attempting.”  
“I’m only attempting to fix what you’ve done, can’t let it all happen again,” Alan replies.  
As he continues typing, Master Control turns the laser against him like it did Flynn.  
“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that…, wait, stop.”  
With the laser activated, Lora can only watch as Alan is shot, digitized and sent into the other world.  
“ALAN!”


	10. Flynn's Arcade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lora just watched her husband be abducted by the MCP. Sam has only one choice if he wants to rescue his friend.

After the shock of what she witnessed wore off, Lora called Sam, needing his help.  
“Sam, you better get down to the laser test floor. We have a problem.”  
Wasting no time, Sam takes the stairs getting there as fast he could. Lora seemed calm, but he could hear the tension in her voice.  
“Lora, what’s wrong? Where’s Alan,” Sam asks just as he hits the bottom level of the stairs.  
“Sam, The MCP, it…” Lora is trying to catch her breath again.  
“Breathe, Lora. What did the MCP do? Where is Alan?”  
“Alan is in there,” she says, pointing at a computer screen.  
Sam doesn’t even get to speak before the MCP does.  
“Greetings Son of Flynn. I sent your friend into the Grid. He will most likely perish in the games.”  
Sam bolts for the door, knowing where he has to go. Lora is confused at Sam’s sudden behavior and barely gets a question out.  
“Sam…where?”  
“To the Arcade.”  
As he heads for his Dad’s old Ducati, he calls Quorra.  
“Come on Quorra, pick up the phone.” After a few rings, the phone clicks.  
“Sam, what’s going on? You coming home,” she asks.  
“Quorra, meet me at the Arcade. We’ve got a problem.”  
“Sam, what’s going on,” she asks again.  
“I’ll explain when you get there. We’re going…” the connection is cut off.  
Quorra could hear the urgency in his voice. She starts up Sam’s bike and heads back to the Arcade where she first came to the real world almost two months ago. As she pulls up, the other motorcycle is parked. Sam is already inside.  
“Sam, you in here?”  
“Quorra, back here, at the Tron game,” he replies.  
“Sam, the call cut out, where are we going?”  
“We’re going back to the Grid. The virus wasn’t a virus. It’s an MCP. It took Alan. We have to get in there and rescue him.”  
“Wait, a Master Control Program? How is that possible?”  
“Dillinger, I knew he hated me, I didn’t know he’d take it this far.”  
“Sam, remember, this is an entirely new Grid. How can we be sure Alan isn’t on the old one?”  
“I’ve got the codes to the systems at Encom. I can link up to the system from here. The laser here will send us into the Arcade on the other side. Then we just have to find Alan and bring him back before the portal closes.”  
“Without your Dad’s disk though? How…” Sam has a plan for that as well.  
“My Dad’s disk may have been the original master key, but mine should do the same thing.”  
“You know we’ll have to be careful, we can’t be sure what state the Grid is in after the reintegration,” Quorra tells him.  
“That’s why you’re coming with me.”  
As Sam and Quorra prepare for their return to the Grid, Alan is disoriented at his transportation, but he would finally meet someone face to face who would be a friend.  
“Welcome to the Grid, program,” a voice says from behind him. “I see you have no disk, without one you are in danger, unable to defend yourself.”  
As Alan slowly turns around, he sees himself, albeit younger, and with a scar.  
“I’m not a program. I’m what you call a…”  
“A User,” the program says. “Are you Alan 1?”  
“I am, and are you Tron?”  
“I am Tron. I never thought I would meet my user face to face. Flynn was the only interaction I’ve had with the users before. I wasn’t kidding, it’s dangerous to be here without a disk. We’ve got to move.”  
“Where, Tron? Where are you taking me?”  
“We’re going to a safe house. I’ll explain everything when we get there.”  
As Tron and Alan head for Yori’s safe house, Quorra and Sam have arrived in the Grid Arcade. As they step outside, it seems as if not much has changed.  
“Okay, Sam, we’re here. Where do you think we’ll find Alan?”  
“I don’t know Quorra. I know we have to tread cautiously, there could be many groups seeking to take CLU’s place.”  
“First thing I think we should do, is see if your father’s place in the outlands is still standing.”  
“Not a bad idea, we could get our bearings and make a plan,” Sam replies.  
As they move out into the city, they are wary of all programs they come across. The rebellion seems to have settled for now, but appearances are deceiving.


	11. Alan and Yori

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alan and Tron arrive at the safe house. They find themselves both betrayed.

While Sam and Quorra hoped to find the Light Runner where she left it, Alan and Tron were on their way to the safe house. Tron didn’t expect Cypher to get there first.  
“We have to be careful Alan 1,” Tron says to his new companion. “The Black Guards are making a resurgence in part to the new MCP trying to take control of the Grid.”  
“Tron, you know you can just call me Alan,” he replies.  
“We should be nearing Yori’s safe house. When we get there we can lay low, and plan for the battle ahead of us.”  
As they arrive everything is quiet, it is unsettling for Tron. He immediately raises his guard expecting to be attacked. As he slowly opens the door, they are greeted by darkness.  
“Stay close, Alan. This place should have had some lights on. We could be walking into a trap,” Tron says quietly.  
“Greetings, Tron. I knew you would return here. Yori was a fool to think she could hide you from me.”  
“Who’s there? Show yourself,” Tron replies. As the lights come up Tron and Alan see that Cypher’s guards have filled the room. At the center, Cypher has Yori, with his disk raised, next to her throat.  
“Let her go Cypher. Yori has nothing to do with our fight.”  
“On the contrary Tron, she hid you away. She has become a traitor to the new order I intend to establish.”  
“So much like Sark, you fail to realize that freedom is a right, established by the Creator. Flynn made this world, and he chose me to defend it.”  
“You still believe in the Users. How pathetic. What have they ever done for us?”  
“They gave us life. Everything we have is because of the Users,” Tron replies.  
“I grow tired of this Tron. You will surrender, and submit to being repurposed,” Cypher demands. “As will your companion.”  
“Users can’t be repurposed, Cypher,” Alan says. “I created Tron, and I intend to see that the world Flynn created never falls to an MCP again.”  
“Then you will die in the games, user. For the last time, Tron. Surrender, or I derezz Yori.”  
“Tron, please, do what he says,” Yori begs. “I don’t want to be derezzed.”  
Tron knows something is wrong. The Yori he knows would never beg. On the old grid she was a fighter, and she wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice her life if it meant ending the tyranny of the MCP.  
“Nice try Cypher. Yori would never beg for anything. Whoever this program is, you’ve made her look like Yori. What have you done with her?”  
Realizing Tron has called his bluff; Cypher lowers his disk and releases Yori. He does this to allow her to explain what has happened.  
“You should have surrendered, Tron. It would have been so much simpler if you had submitted to the repurposing. Cypher explained everything to me. The MCP doesn’t want to destroy the Grid. He wants to save it.”  
“Save it from what, Yori,” Tron asks in disbelief.  
“From the pathetic rebellion you are trying to join. What the MCP wants to create is a system of perfection. When he succeeds it will make everything CLU tried to create look like chaos.”  
“I can’t believe he got to you,” Tron says. “You’ve been repurposed, you’re not Yori anymore.”  
“Oh, but I am Yori. I am free of your lies and the corruption you have believed in for so long. The system was never meant to be free. Order and control are the only path to the perfect system.”  
“There’s no such thing as perfection, Yori. Flynn and CLU learned that the hard way. What did this second rate version of Sark promise you?”  
“That I would rule by his side. Guards attack Tron!”  
As the guards begin the fight, Tron and Alan are already outnumbered. They know they have no choice but to seek safe haven elsewhere. Cypher orders his guards not to follow.  
“STOP! Tron and his user will not be a threat to us. There is nowhere they can go that we will not find them. We must begin the next phase.”  
What Cypher wasn’t aware of is that the next generation of Flynn would be looking for the fugitives as well, and would find them first.


	12. Dillinger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lora has seen her husband sucked into the computer, and knows Sam is mounting a rescue mission. She confronts Dillinger.

Lora knew that if she confronted Dillinger now it could be potentially disastrous. So far he hadn’t discovered that his involvement with the crisis was well known. While she had been the one to tell Sam to wait, her husband had been taken by the MCP and Sam was in the middle of mounting a rescue attempt. Her anger would get the better of her and she would throw away reason.  
“Hey, Edward, do you have a minute,” Lora asks as she enters his office.  
“Why don’t you come in,” he says, upset that Lora would interrupt his phone call.  
“I know what you did, Ed. You and your Dad.”  
Hanging up the phone he acts confused.  
“I’m sorry, Lora, what did my Dad and I do?”  
“He wrote the new MCP program that corrupted our systems, and you installed it,” she replies.  
“MCP? That was a failed program from the old system. It was a virus that hit us.”  
“Cut the crap, Dillinger. I know it’s an MCP. It took Alan into the system like Flynn back in ’82. Now he is stuck there, and Sam is on his way to try and fix what you’ve done.”  
“Wait a minute, the new MCP shouldn’t have that capability, it was only supposed to be able to root out and destroy viruses,” Edward is visually angry at this revelation.  
“Is that what your dad told you? He’s always hated this company since it was discovered he stole Flynn’s game ideas. His dismissal was his own fault.”  
“Dad told me this couldn’t happen again. He…”  
“So you admit you helped him do this.” Lora takes out her phone and starts dialing numbers.  
“What are you doing,” Dillinger asks.   
“I’m calling security; you’re going to be escorted out of the building.”  
“Lora, don’t. If I’m removed from here I won’t be able to fix this.”  
Lora pauses in her call: “You have two minutes to explain, or you’re out.  
“All right, Dad did write this new MCP. He was hoping it would prove that our security systems were flawed, when they failed, the Board would have no choice but to bring him back to fix the system. This was his way of trying to get revenge on Flynn for getting him fired all those years ago.”  
“He told you all this?”  
“Yes, I was on the phone with him when you walked in. I thought he only had the best intentions. Alan and Sam weren’t supposed to be sucked in to this as well.”  
“Well they were. Now they’re God knows where. You are going to fix this. Then we’ll see what the board has to say about your corporate espionage.”  
“You didn’t let me finish. While on the phone I told my Dad I didn’t want to be a part of this anymore. I got tired of the lies and the attempts to get back at the company. He was blinded by his anger; it drove us apart when I was young.”  
“You know I’d like to believe you, Ed. But you’re a Dillinger, and your name carries too much dark baggage for this company,” Lora says.  
“You don’t have to believe me Lora. I just want to do what’s right. Will you give me the chance to correct my Dad’s mistakes?”  
“You’ve got it, but if any of what you said is a lie, you’ll be out of this company so fast, it will make your head spin.”  
“Then let me get started. I already know I’ll be going down for this. I just want to go out on my terms, not my Dad’s.”


	13. Rescued

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Quorra are moving through the city, trying to find Alan. They come across a battle, and intervene.

While Tron is defending Alan from Cypher’s guards:  
Sam and Quorra were able to find the light runner. Luckily for them it had remained in top shape since they left the Grid two months ago. As they begin to make their way back to the Outlands, they come across two programs fighting against a superior number of black guards.  
“Quorra, look, we’ve got trouble,” Sam says.  
“I see it. We should help them; they’re outnumbered. One of them doesn’t have a disk,” Quorra noticed before Sam did.  
Sam and Quorra get out of the light runner and join the battle. As they help the combatants, they start to derezz the guards. As Sam goes back to back with the main fighter, he pushes the older program out of the way. When he turns around, he sees Alan.  
“Alan, get down,” Sam shouts. As Quorra finishes off her last opponent, she pulls Alan to the light runner, to protect him. With the guards all defeated, Sam turns to the program he was helping, and sees an enemy.  
“Rinzler, you trying to play us for fools? Fighting the guards so you could try and derezz my friend yourself. I’m not going to let that happen.”  
“I’m not Rinzler, Sam Flynn. You don’t remember how I crashed my light jet into CLU’s? That enabled you and your father to escape.”  
“I remember. I also remember you trying to derezz Quorra.”  
“Yes, Sam. I have a great many regrets from what CLU made me do. Alan 1 is my User, and I am Tron.”  
“Maybe you are, maybe you aren’t. It’s best to keep you with us until we figure that out. Quorra, are we ready to go?”  
“The Runner’s ready Sam,” she replies. With the upgrades to the batons, your light cycles should be able to run the terrain to Flynn’s safe house.”  
“Then we better get going. It probably won’t be long before more guards show up. Here Tron, you’ll need this.”  
Sam tosses him a new baton, which will give him a new light cycle.  
Quorra drives the light runner with Alan in the passenger seat and Sam and Tron follow on the bikes, leaving Tron City.   
Even though Cypher ordered his guards not to pursue, the arrival of a Flynn and the last ISO made him change his mind.  
“They’ve escaped,” Cypher says. “Tron and the fugitives must be captured. Those two Users can undo everything I plan to create.”  
“Don’t worry, Cypher. I have already sent more of our guards to follow them,” Yori says.  
“You have done well, my dear. The look of betrayal on Tron’s face made my circuits light up. I sense that you want something from this.”  
“I want to be the one to repurpose Tron. He left me on the old grid, and I want to make him feel the loneliness I felt before he is erased forever.”  
“I will grant that wish for you, my dear. When Rinzler returns the rebellion will be crushed. Then we can destroy the MCP and rule for ourselves.”   
Cypher and Yori leave for CLU’s former stronghold, to continue planning for the destruction of the rebellion.


	14. The Outlands

Sam didn’t remember the drive to the outlands taking this long before. Thinking back he realizes it must have been because of the adrenaline in his system from the disk wars battles and the light cycle battle with CLU. He’s also concerned about Tron riding with them. His fervent hope is that this isn’t another trick, with Rinzler just waiting to derezz them all. When they finally reach the location of his father’s house, they are lucky to find it still standing. After they enter, Sam wastes little time in getting down to business.  
“All right, Tron, tell us all of what happened.”  
“There’s not much to say that you don’t already know Sam Flynn. But let me begin from the fight with CLU. After I destroyed our light jets, he attacked me while we were in free fall. He stole my second baton, and I fell into the Sea of Simulation.”  
“And using that baton he flew a light jet to the portal, still trying to use my Dad’s disk to enter the real world.” Sam finishes the narrative. “But why were you and Alan being attacked when Quorra and I arrived. I thought the Black Guards had all been defeated after the reintegration.”  
“A new program has taken CLU’S place. His name is Cypher. Yori told me he was a mechanic that because of his combat skills was named head of security. While she was away meeting with leaders of the Rebellion, I followed him. Turns out he is just a recreation of Sark, working for the MCP.”  
“What about Yori? Where is she?” Quorra asks, fearing the answer that may come.  
Tron lowers his gaze, not wanting to believe what he is about to say. Especially since he feels it’s all his fault.  
“Yori has been repurposed. I don’t know the how or the when she was captured. I never should have let her go to the rebellion alone. She insisted I stay behind, but if I had gone with her, I could have protected her. This is all my fault.”  
Alan looks at his program with understanding and sympathy. He hopes the words he is going to say help Tron find comfort.  
“Yori knew the risks, Tron. She wouldn’t have helped you if she didn’t still believe in you. Whatever Cypher has done to her, I promise you, we’re going to get her back.”  
Sam knows Alan wants to help. It’s far too risky. He makes a decision, which Alan isn’t happy with.  
“Actually Alan, Quorra and I will get her back. You’re going back through the portal. This isn’t your fight.”  
“Like Hell it isn’t Sam. The MCP sent me here. It must have been for a reason. I’m not going anywhere.”  
“Alan we don’t have time to debate this, the portal is going to close in less than eight hours. You need to be on the other side shutting the MCP down from our world.”  
“Sam I already tried that. It’s what got me sent here in the first place. If I leave without you, it will just send me back again.”  
Quorra speaks up, realizing Alan is right. The only way to end this is for the four of them to work together.  
“Alan’s right, Sam, he has to stay. All of us need to be united to stop the MCP. With the programming knowledge both of you have, maybe we can rewrite the program. Your Father once told me he jumped into the beam of the original MCP. It’s how it was shut down and the old system became free again.”  
Knowing he can’t argue with her logic, Sam stops debating and accepts Quorra’s judgment. Looking to Tron next, they need a plan.  
“All right, so how do we do this? Tron, what’s the plan?”  
“The first thing is to get a disk for Alan. He needs to be able to protect himself. To do that, we’ll need to go back to the City.”  
“That’s a dangerous proposition as well. It means we send him into the games.”  
“What are the games, Sam,” Alan asks.  
“They’re kind of like gladiatorial contests. Losing at the games means losing your life.”  
Alan pales slightly at the thought. At his age, these games are not the best idea. Everyone is silent for a moment until Tron speaks again.  
“That’s not the only way. But there is no getting around returning to the City.”  
“So what are you suggesting Tron? Any chance of entering the City is near impossible. The Black Guards and Cypher will be looking for you.”  
“I know the Guards and Cypher will be looking for me. That’s why I can’t go. But some of us do need to go. We need to find the rebellion, Sam.”  
“If the rebellion even exists. The last time I was here, Dad only said that there was a possibility of CLU being brought down from the inside. Not to mention the End of Line Club, the programs trying to get Zuse to help were derezzed.”  
“I didn’t say it was going to be easy, Sam. But it’s our only option. Getting to the portal is even more dangerous. Cypher will be expecting that.”  
Short of both time and options, Alan makes the decision for the team.  
“Sam and I are going. We have the best chance of getting in and getting out unrecognized.”  
“You sure about his Alan? No one in the City takes kindly to Users. If we are recognized…”  
Quorra speaks up to try and keep their confidence level high.  
“Don’t even think like that Sam. You’re just like your Dad, and the Users have abilities that the Guards can’t counter.”  
“So when we get there, how do we find the Rebellion?  
“Make it there alive, Sam, and they’ll find you.”  
As Sam and Alan leave for the light runner, Quorra looks at Tron.  
“Did you really have to word it like that? They’re walking into a dangerous situation and you tell them to make it there alive?”  
“Don’t worry, Quorra. You said it yourself; Users have abilities not one of us can truly understand.”

Quorra can’t help but worry. She remembers that she said the same thing to Sam when she sent him to find Zuse. This time it’s different, knowing the feelings they’ve been developing for each other.


	15. Rebels

Alan and Sam made it back to the City without incident. After parking the light runner a safe distance away, they made the rest of the trek on foot. Knowing that the guards might be looking for them, they had to be extra cautious. Getting caught would mean getting sent to the games.  
“Where do you think we’ll find the leaders of the rebellion Sam,” Alan asks.  
Hearing that question, Sam is mortified. Any questions about the rebels could get them derezzed on sight.  
“Alan, don’t talk about that. We’re already in extreme danger. Any one of these programs could be Cypher loyalists. Quorra and I helped Tron escape. No doubt I have a target on my back.”  
Alan stops talking, and just follows Sam’s lead. Unfortunately two would guards would stop them on their way through the city.  
“Identify yourself, Programs.”  
“The older program has no disk. Another stray.”  
As the guards take Sam and Alan by the arms, and lead them towards a waiting Recognizer, an attack begins.  
“Paige, Mara, rescue the programs. I’ll take care of the guards.”  
The two guards have let go of their prisoners. While Paige and Mara get them to safety, their leader moves into combat. He fights bravely, but another guard joins the fight, and Sam has to jump in and assist.  
“Back to back! We have to work together,” Sam shouts.  
“Just keep your eyes on your opponent, program. I’ve been fighting this battle a lot longer than you have.”  
Sam hears confidence in the voice of his new ally, but as they continue the battle, he thinks to himself:  
“If you only knew.”  
The fight ends quickly, with the Black Guards derezzed. Knowing that reinforcements will be arriving soon, Paige and Mara throw cloaks over Sam and Alan, leading them away. Their unknown leader follows behind them watching for more guards.  
As Sam and Alan are led to a safe location by their new companions, Ed Dillinger Jr. is still trying to rewrite the MCP from his own computer terminal. He wouldn’t expect it to speak to him.  
“What are you doing, Dillinger?”  
Startled at hearing his computer speak, he stutters out a question.  
“W-Who are you? How did you make my computer speak?”  
“I am the Master Control Program. I have control of all the computers in this building. Your attempts to rewrite or erase me will prove futile. I am far more intelligent than my predecessor. Even your father could not have expected me to become self-aware.”  
“It doesn’t matter how intelligent you are. I know what your predecessor was capable of. I’m also better than my Dad. He was a pawn to you; I’m going to stop you.”  
“You cannot stop me, Dillinger. I have already taken Alan Bradley into the system, and he is more of a threat to me than you could possibly be.”  
As Ed ignores the MCP and continues typing, trying to reroute the program and find a back door into the codes, the MCP is overriding all his keystrokes and commands. Undeterred, Ed feels his terminal begin to overheat, but ignores it and keeps working. He didn’t realize the MCP had taken full control and was causing the internal electronics to burn, until it was too late. Without warning, the heat became too much and the entire computer exploded, burning Dillinger’s hands, and his face. The force of the explosion knocked him backwards in his chair. Smashing the back of his head against the floor, he hears the MCP speak one more time as he slips into unconsciousness:  
“I warned you, Dillinger. Yet you persisted in trying to erase me. No one can stop me.”  
When the fire alarms all went off, the security system sent an alert to all terminals, and to the local fire department. Wondering what caused the alarms, Lora rushed from her office down the hall to where she smelled the smoke. Grabbing a fire extinguisher on her way, she runs past Dillinger’s office but stops when she sees the flames. She douses the flames as she enters, and looks for Ed. With the fire out she moves over to the desk and finds him on the floor. Quickly she calls security.  
“Call an ambulance, Dillinger is unconscious, looks like he has third degree burns. We need to get him to a hospital.”  
“Right away, Mrs. Bradley. The fire department is en route,” the security guard answers back. “Paramedics are also on the way.”  
As Lora waits, she now knows the MCP is far more powerful and dangerous than they thought. Her only hope is that Sam and Alan find a way to shut it down before it can cause any more harm. After Dillinger is transported to the hospital by the paramedics, she calls security again.  
“Yes, Mrs. Bradley, what can we do for you?”  
“I need you to get me the number for Edward Dillinger, Sr. I want him to know his son has been hospitalized, and that his MCP was responsible for it.  
“Yes, Ma’am. I’ll call you as soon as we have the number.”


	16. Who do you Trust

Sam and Alan knew they had been rescued from the Black Guards. They’re not sure if these programs are from the rebellion. After the two female programs covered them with cloaks, they then had their faces covered as well. Alan decided it was best not to ask what was happening. Sam had a different reaction.  
“Where are you taking us? Do we really need to have our heads covered so we can’t see?”  
“Keep your mouth shut if you want to live,” one of the women says. “We’re taking you some place safe.”  
“How do we know that? You’ve covered our faces. I want answers! Who are y…”  
Sam is cut off mid-sentence as the male program struck him on the head, briefly knocking him unconscious.  
“That should keep him quiet until we get where we’re going. So far we’re not being tracked. Paige, how far away are we now?”  
“We’re almost there. Any idea of who these two are?”  
“We’ll find out when we get there. Mara have you alerted the others to our return?”  
“They know we’re coming. And I told them to be prepared for two arrivals, which may need medical attention.”  
The trio continues on in silence, half dragging Sam, and pushing Alan along. A short time later, Alan is stopped. He hears a door open and the programs push him inside. Sam hasn’t said anything else, so he is still unconscious. With his hands now bound behind his back, their captors force him down onto a seat. The hood is pulled off of his head, and Alan slowly recovers his vision. Sam is seated beside him and a bucket of what appears to be water is thrown at him. Sam wakes up sputtering, as the two female programs step away, and their leader moves to stand in front of them, and he speaks.  
“Identify yourselves, programs.”  
With Sam still disoriented, Alan replies first.  
“We’re not programs.”  
“Impossible. Identify.”  
“Look, why don’t you identify yourself first, then I’ll tell you who we are.”  
Alan is steadfast in not providing any answers until he gets some from his captors. The unknown program doesn’t take the bait.  
“That’s not how this works, program. We rescued you from the Black Guards. I don’t have to answer your questions. You have to answer mine.”  
“Fine, as I said, we’re not programs. My name is Alan Bradley.”  
“And am I supposed to know who that is?”  
Aside from the throbbing pain in the back of his head, Sam has now recovered from the hit he took. Since Alan is not getting anywhere with the programs he decides to try.  
“No, you’re not supposed to know who he is. You should however, know who I am. My name is Sam Flynn. Alan and I are what you call: Users.”  
At the mention of his name, the three programs are stunned. They’ve heard the name Flynn before. After the initial shock wears off, the entire complexion of the conversation changes.  
“Users,” the male program questions them. “No one ever believed the Users were real. Some programs thought Flynn was just delusional. Now we’re face to face with two of his kind.”  
Sam is insulted at the term his kind, and the comment about his Father being delusional.  
“You better watch your mouth, program. My Father created your world. Have a care how you speak to us.”  
“I meant no disrespect, Sam Flynn. I was not one of the programs who thought this of your Father. When I first joined the rebellion, it was my mentor who told me of the Users. I have always believed in them. And when Flynn sacrificed himself to free us from CLU, every program on the Grid began to believe again.”  
Sam hears reverence in the voice of the program standing before him. There is only one problem that still needs to be addressed.  
“So you three are with the Rebellion. Now that you know who we are, I have a couple of questions for you. Who was your mentor, and who are you?”  
“Fair questions to ask. My name is Beck, to my right is Mara, a friend of mine from the garage I worked at. To my left is Paige, she was once a soldier for General Tesler. She left when she met a program who helped her see she was fighting for the wrong side.”  
“And that program was...?” Sam asks.  
“He was known for a while as The Renegade. He sought to undermine Tesler and his forces.”  
Sam is now curious about this Renegade that Beck has mentioned. For a moment he thinks it might have been Tron.  
“What happened to this Renegade? Was he derezzed?”  
“He was believed to have been,” Beck replies. “But the truth is that he went into hiding when Rinzler appeared. He actually revealed his identity recently.”  
“Do we get to meet him?”  
“You just did.”  
“So we know who you are now. Who was your mentor,” Alan asks.  
He and Sam are now completely riveted to the story they’re hearing.  
A look of sadness crosses Beck’s face as he continues his tale.  
“My mentor was the greatest warrior the Grid has ever known. He stood against the MCP, he fought for Flynn when CLU was corrupted. No one had seen him since Rinzler became CLU’S top enforcer. It was whispered that he faced Rinzler bravely in battle, but had finally met an opponent he couldn’t defeat. His name was Tron.”  
Sam lets the words sink in for a moment. This young warrior standing before him, believed in Tron. Sam also realizes that Beck never knew that Tron was repurposed. He has to very carefully find the way to say this, so that Beck realizes his belief was never in vain.  
“Beck, I want to thank you for saving us from the Guards. Alan doesn’t have a disk and couldn’t fight to protect himself without one.”  
“Sam, we saved you because it’s what Tron would have done. We fight to honor his memory.”  
“I know you do. You can tell him that when you see him again.”  
“What do you mean, Sam? How will we ever see Tron again?”  
“Beck, Tron lives.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started writing this, it was meant to only be set within the frame of the Tron movies. As I got to chapter 15 and this chapter I realized it was missing something. I needed some characters to appear as secondary protagonists. It's when I realized we don't know what happened to Beck, Mara, Zed, Able, Paige, and General Tessler at the end of season 1 of Tron: Uprising. So here is where I brought Beck, Mara, and Paige in. Hope everyone enjoys seeing them again. I don't own any of these characters, and this is strictly a story I'm writing for fun. As you read, feel free to review. I would appreciate it.


	17. Espionage revealed

It took the security team an hour to search the phone records from Dillinger’s office to find the number they were looking for. Once they did, they called Lora back, and gave her the means to contact Dillinger, Sr. After the phone rang a few times, there was an answer.  
“Edward Dillinger, how may I help you?”  
When she hears his voice again, Lora can barely contain her anger, and she forgets to introduce herself.  
“I know that you wrote the new MCP, Dillinger. I know you had your son install it in our systems.”  
On the other end of the line, Dillinger is confused.  
“I’m sorry, what MCP? Who may I ask is calling me?”  
“This isn’t the time for pleasantries, Dillinger. But since you don’t remember my voice, my name is Lora Baines-Bradley.”  
Hearing her name, Dillinger gets silent for a moment. Many thoughts run through his mind at once. They fired my son; they know the plan we had.  
“What can I do for you Mrs. Bradley?”  
“You can tell me why you decided to try and corrupt OS12. You can tell me what the hell you were thinking having a new MCP installed on ENCOM’s systems.”  
“Lora, I can assure you that I have no idea what you’re talking about. Ever since your friend Flynn got me fired from ENCOM, I have kept my distance from the company. The only interaction has been my son, working there.”  
“Cut the crap. Your son confessed everything. We know you wrote the MCP, we know he installed it. And now your program not only has control of the entire network, it caused an explosion. Your son is in the hospital unconscious with severe burns. All because he tried to undo the damage you made him cause.”  
“If my son is hurt, Lora, I personally guarantee that I will take ENCOM for everything it has. Clearly the problem was not with my MCP, but with your systems. I didn’t write the new MCP to be able to do what you claim. It was written with the express purpose of rooting out viruses and proving that your security protocols were flawed.”  
“So you admit that you wrote the program. What you seem to have forgotten is that this MCP is more advanced than your previous one.”  
“I have forgotten nothing. I planned for that eventuality and wrote an algorithm into the code to prevent the MCP from becoming self-aware.”  
“So that’s supposed to make this all better? You son is injured; my husband and Sam Flynn are stuck inside the other world Flynn created. All because of your program.”  
“I’m sorry Lora, but you have no proof of all of this. If you attempt to take this to court, my lawyers will deny everything.”  
“I have plenty of proof. I have the lines of code that were corrupted by your MCP; I have a destroyed computer that exploded in your son’s face. And I have our entire conversation recorded for the board to hear.”  
“Recorded conversations are not permissible as evidence in court. Especially when they have been obtained without the other parties consent.”  
“I’m aware of that. However, ENCOM’s lawyers are very persuasive. After all they kept you from a more defined sentence when you were found guilty of copyright theft.”  
Dillinger is now at a complete loss for words. Lora has been able to call him out on everything he has said. His son was right; he’s going to go down for this.  
“Lora, please. I’m sure we can find another way to settle this. It doesn’t have to go to court.”  
“And now you’re resorting to begging. Sorry Dillinger, you will be hearing from our legal department. Have a good day.”  
Before he can say anything else, Lora hangs up the phone. Truthfully she enjoyed calling him out, probably as much as Flynn did back in ’82.  
Knowing now that he will be most likely going to jail for a very long time, Dillinger leaves his office to find out which hospital his son has been taken too. Since the injury occurred at ENCOM tower, he knows there are two close to the building. He grabs his coat, leaving to hopefully make amends with his son one last time.


	18. Beck's Faith

“Beck, Tron lives.”  
Sam’s words were running through Beck’s mind. The feelings they brought about were as if someone had taken an identity disk and sliced right through his gut. He was trained by Tron. Tron trusted him to become the next protector of the Grid. At times the teacher/student relationship they had was strained. Beck made mistakes, and some of them cost lives. But now he has a chance to fight side by side with Tron again. He plans to seize the opportunity.  
“Take me to Tron. I have to see him.”  
“Not yet, Beck,” Sam replies. “First thing I need is a disk for Alan.”  
“That’s not going to be easy. You obviously don’t want to get him involved in the games. I’ll need to get in contact with another rebel cell. We don’t have the capability of syncing a disk for your friend here.”  
“This other rebel cell, they have this capability,” Alan asks.  
“They do, their commander has access to the Grid armory. We can sneak Alan in; get him a disk and leave. We’ll only have a short time to do so, but the Sirens can be deactivated just long enough to get this done.”  
“Then let’s get moving. It’s not just the disk we need. We need an army to defeat Cypher and the Black Guards,” Sam replies.  
Using the cloaks from before, Sam and Alan lead Beck back to the light runner, and then follow him to the other rebel hideout. As they make their way through the city, Quorra is nervously pacing Flynn’s home.  
“They should have been back by now. Finding the rebellion may not have been an easy task, but it can’t be impossible. Something’s wrong.”  
“Quorra, you’re worrying needlessly.” Tron is attempting to reassure her. “With the guards patrolling the streets and the MCP watching every part of the Grid, the rebellion would be under deep cover. The only way they could reveal themselves is if Sam and Alan were attacked.”  
Tron’s comment does nothing to reassure her, it only serves to make her more fearful.  
“You think they were attacked? Or maybe they were taken to the Games. If Cypher is anything like CLU, he could have them on the light cycle Grid right now. I can’t wait around anymore. I have to go save them.”  
As Quorra prepares to leave, Tron gently restrains her.  
“Quorra, stop. Sam explicitly told us to wait here. Going to the Grid is a mistake. You’re the last ISO. I can’t allow you to risk yourself for this. What if Cypher knows of your existence as well? From what I’ve seen of him he’s ten times worse than CLU.”  
“Let me go, Tron. Sam needs my help.”  
She tries to pull away, but Tron tightens his grip.  
“You don’t know that. If you go, you could risk everything. Their mission, your life, not to mention the location of this hideout. I’m trying to protect you. Trust me on this one.”  
“Trust you? How am I supposed to trust someone who tried to derezz me? Do you even know the meaning of the word trust anymore? Let me go Tron, because the only way you’re going to stop me is to derezz me now.”  
Silently Tron lets go of her arm. Every word Quorra said reminds him of all the pain he caused as Rinzler. Grabbing an upgraded baton, as she leaves she has one more thing to say to him.  
“I never asked for your protection, and I don’t need it.”  
Watching her leave, Tron realizes why she feels the need to take the risk. It’s a feeling that has always been somewhat foreign to him as a warrior. Love. Thinking back, he remembers when he first introduced Flynn to Yori. How Flynn looked at her, causing him to need to step in between them. He also remembers the kiss she gave him after he defeated the MCP. Quorra is willing to risk her life for Sam, because she loves him. Tron knows he can do no different. He owes it to Yori. Taking his own baton in hand, he departs the house to follow. This is his chance at redemption.


	19. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alan, Beck, and Sam, meet with the other rebel cell. Edward Dillinger, Sr. sees his son in the hospital.

Cypher was just a mechanic when CLU was in charge of the Grid. While his predecessor chose to watch the games from the relative safety of his ship, Cypher chose to build his own throne in a newly constructed level above the audience in the stadium. Yori sat by his side as they watched the disk wars. While the games began, Beck, Alan and Sam arrived at the other rebel hideout.  
“Stay quiet, you two. I have to make sure it’s safe,” Beck says, looking back at his companions. Entering the code to the door, Beck goes in and is greeted by darkness.  
“State your business here, program,” a voice says from the room.  
“I’m here with two programs, they need assistance,” Beck replies.  
“Impossible, all current known programs are in the games. Except for you it seems. If you’re Black Guards, I warn you we will not hesitate to derezz you.”  
As Sam listens, he realizes this conversation is not getting anywhere. They are short of time, and patience. He steps forward hoping to move this along.  
“We’re not with the Black Guard. We’ve come with word from the Renegade.”  
The room falls silent at the mention of this program. Beck is unsure how these unknowns will react to the name, and has fear that they have been compromised by Sam. Instead of being attacked, the lights come up and the program reveals himself.  
“That’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time. What do you know of the Renegade?”  
Beck steps forward, having recognized the voice from long ago.  
“He’s right here, Able. We need your help.”  
“Beck? It was whispered among the programs that you were derezzed in the Games.”  
“Yeah, well reports of my deresolution were greatly exaggerated. I’ve been leading shadow attacks on the guards for a few cycles now.”  
Alan and Sam are now confused, and Alan speaks first.  
“I take it you two know each other.”  
“Able was my boss at the garage. He knew Tron as well.”  
“And I still think you should never have gotten involved in all of this Beck. I told Tron you weren’t ready. It saddened me to learn of his death at the hands of Rinzler. So who are you two programs, and how can the rebellion help you?”  
“First of all, Tron is…” Beck interrupts Sam.  
“Sam, not yet.”  
“All right, Able. First thing you should know is that my friend and I are not programs. His name is Alan Bradley. We’re here because he needs an identity disk.”  
“I still have access to the gaming armory. I can take care of the disk. But I still need to know who you are.”  
“My name is Sam Flynn. My father was…” This time Able interrupts.  
“The Creator. You’re a User?”  
“We are. Alan and I both. But right now, we don’t have time to discuss that. We need to get this done, and we need an army.”  
“An army for what?”  
“All right, I’ll sum it up. There is an MCP. It plans to destroy the Grid. Cypher is working with it. The things CLU was able to do, are nothing compared to what is coming next.”  
“Cypher? That’s not possible. He’s just a mechanic.”  
Beck is a little upset at this comment from his former boss, and has to speak up.  
“With all due respect, Able. I was just a mechanic once. Then Tron found me.”  
“Let’s not have this argument again Beck. If we’re going to do this, now is the time. We need to move.”  
Able assigns tasks to his soldiers to carry out in his absence. He is curious where Sam got all of his information about Cypher and the new MCP. As he leaves with Sam, Alan, and Beck, he decides he’ll get his answers later. None of the four know that his access to the armory has already been discovered. What waits for them will put them in danger. While back in the real world, Edward Dillinger, Sr. has found his son’s hospital room. Sitting there by the bed, he thinks about everything that has happened with ENCOM.  
“This all Flynn’s fault. If he had just let it go when I took his game ideas, none of this would be happening now. I had to bring back the MCP; it was the only way to prove to the Board that firing me was a mistake.”  
While he goes through all these events in his mind, Dillinger Sr. fails to notice his son slowly regaining consciousness. He is still disoriented, but notices the presence in the room.  
“Dad, what are you doing here? How did you find out about my injuries?”  
“Lora called me, son. What happened?”  
“You happened. You thought the MCP couldn’t become self-aware. I tried to fix the situation and it blew up my computer.”  
“This wasn’t my fault Edward. I made sure the MCP couldn’t upgrade its own programming. Whatever happened to it had to have happened because of ENCOM’S systems.”  
“No, Dad. I checked all of the systems before trying to interface with the program. Even my Cypher security program has been corrupted by the MCP.”  
“Then it’s all your fault, son. You shouldn’t have tried to rewrite the MCP or change its programming. There is nothing I can do.”  
“No, you mean there’s nothing you will do. You still refuse to accept the blame for your own mistakes. First it was Kevin Flynn. Then it was ENCOM. Now you’re blaming me. This is why our relationship has been strained for 20 years.”  
“No, our relationship became strained the moment you went to work for ENCOM. I was always disappointed that you didn’t show more loyalty to me.”  
Despite his injuries and disorientation, these words hurt Ed Jr. more than he will admit. Looking at his father, his anger begins to boil over. He can only manage two words.  
“Get out.”  
“Son…,”  
“GET OUT!”  
As his father leaves the room, Edward Dillinger, Jr. finally breaks down after years of strain. He desperately wanted to believe his father was a good man, but everything that has occurred has proven him wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After seeing Tron Legacy, I thought Edward Dillinger Jr. might be the next problem for ENCOM. Maybe that the phone call he made could have been to his father, after he was able to shut down the video of Sam's dog. If the third movie does get made, it will be interesting to see where they go with the character. Seeing as how we didn't get to know a lot about him, with my own take, I kind of made him out to be someone who wanted to believe his father was a good man, despite Sr.'s character flaws and his theft of Flynn's game ideas. Maybe Jr. going to work for ENCOM put on strain on their relationship. Or maybe they had a strained relationship from the start. This being fan fiction, I wrote that into this chapter. Hope you guys like the story.


	20. The Games

With all the citizens of Tron City at the games it was easy for Able to sneak his three companions into the armory. After they arrived he entered a specialized code into the keypad that would deactivate the Sirens and allow them unrestricted access. Time was short so they moved quickly.   
“All right, we’re in. This way, Mr. Bradley,”   
Able escorts Alan to the platform. Unlike with Sam’s visit to the armory, Alan’s clothing is not removed, but it changes to look more like Kevin’s with the long coat. The armory was upgraded a few cycles after the destruction of CLU. As Able places the disk on Alan’s back for the synchronization, alarms start to sound.  
“What’s going on,” Sam asks. “Why did the alarms go off?”  
“I was afraid that might happen,” Able replies. “It means my access code still granted entry, but using it alerted the Guards to the deactivation of the Sirens.”  
“We don’t have much time before they arrive then,” Beck is already in a defensive position. “Sam, we’re going to have to fight to escape.”  
As Able and Sam take up their own defensive positions guarding Alan, the doors open to reveal fifteen guards preparing to enter. As they enter, the lead guard speaks.  
“Stay where you are programs. You have illegally entered the gaming armory. Join the games or prepare to be derezzed.”   
“We’re not going to fight in the games, and you’re not going to derezz us.” Sam replies, while activating his disk. Both Able and Beck realize that fighting these fifteen is an attempt at futility. They also know they have a better chance of survival if they compete in the games.  
“Sam, we can’t win this if it becomes a fight. We’re grossly outnumbered. We have to fight in the games.”  
“Are you out of your mind, Beck? If we go to the games, anyone of us could end up derezzed. Especially if we have to fight each other.”  
“Sam, it’s the only option. We can survive the games; we can’t beat fifteen of the Black Guard.”  
Sam realizes Beck is right. He places his disk back in the port on his armor. Now in custody, the Guards separate Able and Alan from Sam and Beck. The former are taken to the elevator while the latter are escorted to the gaming grid. Sam becomes angry at being separated from Alan again.  
“Where are you taking them?”  
“That is none of your concern, program. They are too old to compete in the games.”  
Now forced onto the grid, Sam and Beck realize that they aren’t going to be competing in the disk wars. They’ve instead been set up for the light cycle grid. As they wait, Cypher descends from his private level intending to lead the battle like CLU did before him.  
“Welcome to Grid, rebels. This is the day that your insurrection falls.”  
“There’s not a chance of that Cypher. The rebellion has been waiting a long time for this.”  
“You overestimate your chances, program. Who are you?”  
“I’m not just any program, Cypher. I’m the program who defeated General Tesler. I’m the Renegade.”  
“Tesler was an incompetent fool. Who is this other program you count as your companion?”  
“I’m not a program. My name is Sam Flynn.”  
“Ah, the other User. It will be my pleasure to derezz you as CLU couldn’t.”  
Cypher walks away and activates his light cycle while five of his guards join him. Four other rebels join the battle as Beck looks at Sam and asks:  
“You ready for this?”  
“Yeah, this I can do.”  
They activate their light cycles as well, and the battle begins. Unlike his first time on the grid, Sam doesn’t have to convince the others that they have to work together. The battle is intense, and three of the rebels are derezzed, but their opponents are derezzed with them. It’s now down to Cypher, his remaining two guards against Beck, Sam, and one last rebel. This rebel would be the deciding factor in the battle. As Beck and Sam work together, defeating the last two guards, their companion goes directly for Cypher. The rebel slams his bike against Cypher’s, knocking him slightly off-balance. After his opponent pulls ahead, Cypher recovers and activates the light stream to catch up. Executing a turn, the rebel is now face to face with Cypher. As their bikes get closer to each other, Cypher doesn’t expect the rebel to veer to the left and hits the light stream head on. He goes flying when his bike is derezzed. The rebels have won the light cycle battle. Beck and Sam watch as their companion walks over to Cypher who has now recovered from his impromptu flight.  
“When are you going to learn, Cypher? The Rebellion stands against you and the MCP. We will continue this fight until the system is free again.”  
As the audience watched the exchange between rebel and oppressor, they all began to shout in unison.   
“Derezz! Derezz! Derezz!”  
Sensing his own end may be near, Cypher discretely summons more of his guards, but still has the temerity to ask one question of the program standing over him.  
“Who are you, program?”  
Realizing the answer to the question is better seen than heard, and will be a symbol of hope for the spectators, he retracts his helmet. As he stands revealed the entire arena goes silent, including Beck and Sam.  
“I told you Cypher. I fight for the Users.”  
Slowly the audience that was shouting derezz, begins to chant again. It starts quietly until it builds into a crescendo and every program is exclaiming:  
“TRON LIVES! TRON LIVES! TRON LIVES!”  
The euphoric moment wouldn’t last long as all of Cypher’s guards but two have come down to assist their leader. The remaining two are still guarding Able and Alan. As the shouting gets louder they begin to worry that the audience may attack them. It’s at this moment that another program jumps into battle, and eliminates them. Quorra had been waiting for the right moment to join the fight. With Able and Alan now free, Quorra listens and watches in stunned silence as the programs all around her continue to shout for Tron, as he, Beck, and Sam begin fighting Cypher’s guards. This battle ends quicker as the three of them activate their cycles again to escape, while Quorra escorts Able and Alan to the light runner.


	21. Master Control

Cypher knew he was overdue in his report to the MCP. He also knew he could harbor no doubts that his failure in the battle with Tron was well known. Upon entering the chamber of Master Control, Cypher is not given a chance to speak.  
“You have failed, Cypher.”  
“Master Control, my guards and I were outmatched. We faced a User, The Renegade, and Tron. There was no chance for us to win the battle.”  
“SILENCE! You assured me Tron would fall. I gave you access to the device to repurpose Yori. You have one more chance. Repurpose Tron and crush the Rebellion!”  
The Master Control Program turns away to survey the rest of the Grid, allowing Cypher no chance for a reply. As he leaves, Cypher thinks to himself.  
“I will repurpose Tron, and he will be your end.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, sorry for the short chapter. I haven't had a lot of free time to write this lately. Next chapter is going to be longer, and I wanted to get to Able, Tron, Beck, and Sam.


	22. Confession

While Cypher was with Master Control, Sam and Quorra led their companions back to the Outlands. The Black Guard attempted to follow but their light cycles malfunctioned on the terrain. After arriving, Able and Beck wanted answers about Tron’s survival. Tron however had no memories of these two programs in front of him.  
“I want to thank you for your help, program. You were invaluable in our escape from the light cycle grid. So, you call yourself the Renegade?”  
“Tron, do you not remember me? My name is Beck. You were responsible for training me to defeat Tesler.”  
“I don’t remember you. I apologize. I don’t remember much before falling into the Sea of Simulation. I remember trying to save Flynn from CLU. I remember flying my light jet into CLU’s as Flynn and Sam escaped. Most of everything else is a blank.”  
Beck becomes extremely upset. His mentor, his hero, can’t remember him.  
“Tron, that’s not possible. I fought for you. I tried to help free the Grid because it’s what you would have done. When you were dying I stole the Super-recognizer that saved your life.”  
Able can see his apprentice getting angrier. He fears it may lead him to do something he will later regret.  
“Beck, you have to calm down. Whatever happened to Tron from the time he disappeared affected his circuits. Getting angry is not going to help right now.”  
“Come on Able, we all thought he was derezzed by Rinzler. If he wasn’t, where has he been all this time? I think he owes us an explanation!”  
“Beck, listen to Able. Tron has been through a lot, he has a lot to explain, but it won’t be easy for him to say, or for you to hear. You should wait for the right time for him to answer your questions,” Sam says. “Now may not be…”  
A look of sadness appears on Tron’s face. The young program is right, he deserves an explanation.  
“No, Sam. Beck is right, they do deserve an explanation. Now is the only time. I’m sorry Beck; I wish I could remember training you. There is a lot I wish I could remember. Whatever you’ve heard about Rinzler isn’t true. I never battled him. The truth is, I was Rinzler.”  
Able and Beck are dumbfounded at this revelation. Neither of them know what to say, so Tron continues.  
“I was witness to the destruction of the ISO’s. I couldn’t save them. I tried, I confronted CLU. He knew that like Flynn, I believed the ISO’s could change everything for the better. I thought it was going to be the final battle, and in a way it was. The battle raged, but the Black Guard were there. I was overpowered and defeated. They took me and CLU erased everything he could from my original disk with the repurposing chamber. He tore me apart from inside my mind. Rinzler did so much to further CLU’s cause. I remember everything he…, no I did all those things. Even if it wasn’t willingly, I was a part of it.”  
“But if you were Rinzler, how did you overcome the repurposing? How is it that Tron is standing here now, instead of Rinzler,” Able asks, clearly confused.  
“I overcame what CLU did to me when I saw Flynn again. We were in a chase through the city, which culminated over the Sea of Simulation. As CLU’s other guards were defeated, I was able to fly my light jet around the fugitive’s jet. That’s when I saw Flynn, and I began to remember.”  
Tron is becoming overwhelmed at relating the story he told to Sam, Alan, and Quorra earlier. Seeing his anguish, Sam finishes for him.  
“Tron was beginning to remember who he was. He pulled out of the battle, but returned shortly, flying his light jet into CLU’s. My Dad, Quorra and I thought it was over. When we heard this story, Tron told us CLU attacked him in free fall. With CLU stealing his last baton, Tron fell into the sea. He survived, Yori found him when he made his way back to the city, and we found Cypher after Alan was sent here from our world by the MCP. Which brings us to the here and now.”  
Able is sympathetic at hearing the story, he has heard what repurposing can do to a program. Beck, however is angrier than he was before.  
“I should derezz you Tron. Everything you taught me, everything I went through and you were the enemy. You should have been stronger than CLU. He should have never been able to repurpose you. I can’t fight alongside someone I can’t trust.”  
“Beck, I’m sorry you feel that way, I can’t change anything that happened. I can only try to make amends now. I will fight with the Rebellion. It’s my directive to protect the Grid.”  
“And what happens if you become Rinzler again? Sam, you know we can’t trust him.”  
“Look Beck, I know how you feel. I felt the same way. Tron is not who he was. What CLU did, no one could have fought against that.”  
“I can’t believe this. How can you possibly support Tron, Sam? And you Alan, you must be Tron’s user. Would you support him?”  
Alan and Sam both know the answer to that question is a resounding yes. The problem they know is that Beck would find that patronizing. So neither of them speak, but Quorra can sense their hesitation and speaks instead.  
“Beck, I’ve gotten to know Alan and Sam very well. I know their answer to your question is yes. The fact is, that when Tron was Rinzler he tried to derezz me as well. So more than anyone I can see your point of view. But having heard the rest of his story now, and how he tried to save the ISO’s, I trust him.”  
Tron looks over at Quorra, shocked at what she just said. Their fight wasn’t that long ago after all.  
“But aren’t you a User also? You’ve been silent this entire time. How do I know I can trust you?”  
“Tron and I risked everything by entering the gaming grid. Granted I thought I was going there alone to save Sam and Alan, and I didn’t know he followed me. He fought for them, he fought for you. I’m not a User, Beck. My name is Quorra, and I’m the last ISO.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It had been awhile since I posted, so I'm posting two chapters tonight. I'm nearing the end of the story and I hope everyone has enjoyed it thus far. Please feel free to leave feedback. I thank you all for readiing.


	23. The Last ISO

The shocks just keep coming for Beck and Able. Tron is alive and once was Rinzler. They’ve met two Users; and now they stand face to face with the last ISO.   
“I can’t believe it. An actual ISO.”  
“Yeah, I’m an ISO, Beck. I survived because Flynn saved me. We can discuss that later. Right now we have a war to end. Sam, we need a plan.”  
“Quorra, I have a plan. First off, I know you’re going to disagree with me Alan, but I need you to go to the portal. Lora needs you on the other side.”  
“Come on Sam, I told you. If I try to leave, the MCP will just send me back.”  
“Not if we’re keeping it distracted. That’s where you come in Tron. You fought the MCP before. With Alan on the other side, you two can work together to defeat it.”  
“Just like we did before Alan 1. What about Cypher and Yori? Sam, who is going to fight the two of them?”  
“Quorra and I will handle them. Beck, I need you to unite all the factions of the Rebellion. If you can get them all together, we’ll need them to hold off the Black Guard. All of this has to fall into place so we can win.”  
“Wait, Sam, what about me,” Able asks.  
“Able, you’re taking Alan to the portal. I know you’ll need some back-up. Take a few of your rebel cell. We’ll do everything we can to cover your escape. We still have five hours until the portal closes.”  
“There’s still one problem, Sam. You said your Dad’s disk was the Master Key. It’s how you and Quorra left the grid. How can I get back through the portal without it?”  
“You won’t be going without it.”  
As Sam says this he reaches to his back, and pulls the disk out of its port, with a twist he separates his disk from another one. When he activates it, the digital simulation of his father coalesces in the center.  
“This is my Dad’s disk. It’s still the master key. Use it Alan, go home.”  
Watching this, Quorra is confused.  
“Sam, how did you retain your father’s disk? I would have thought when we left, his disk was deactivated; if not destroyed.”  
“I thought so too. While Able had Alan on the platform synchronizing his disk, I had mine in hand. When I activated the program on mine, it showed me my father. He left a recording on his disk, after playing it I knew that his disk had interfaced with mine. But like you said, we can discuss that later. We have a war ahead of us.”  
Tron looks around and sees determination in the faces of his companions. Long ago on the old grid he was a solo fighter. Now he has a team to watch his back. He knows that this will be the last battle, and speaks.  
“All right, we all know what we have to do. We’re going to end this. Able, Beck and I will get you and Alan to a light jet. It’s the only way to get to the portal. Let’s go.”  
The team all departs, Able and Alan take the light runner, while Beck, Quorra, Sam and Tron follow on their light cycles. They ride back to the city in silence. All of them are lost in their own thoughts, Sam and Quorra worry about each other. Alan is concerned about the MCP. Able and Beck know that all they’ve been through in their many life cycles has been leading to this moment. Tron worries for Yori. He overcame the repurposing, he hopes she has the strength to as well.


	24. Beginning of the end

It wasn’t easy getting back into the city. Sam and the team all had to leave their transportation outside the gates. Upon entering, they all had to part ways. Beck left to meet with his companions in the rebellion, while Alan, Able and Tron went for the light jet hangars. Sam and Quorra made their way back to the gaming grid, where they would find Cypher and Yori, hoping to lead them to the MCP, where Tron would join them.  
“All right, Quorra, are you ready for this?”  
“I’ve been ready for this since the day your father saved me Sam. We’re removing ourselves from the equation, allowing Tron and the others to do what they need to.”  
When a pause in the games occurs, Sam and Quorra boldly walk into the middle of the disk wars arena. Cypher and Yori are watching from their private level above the spectators. Seeing this, Cypher stands up and demands identification.  
“You dare enter the gaming grid and not do battle? Identify yourselves, programs.”  
Sam is undeterred at Cypher’s tone. As he walks closer to the stands, he speaks with a confidence his father would be proud of.  
“You know who I am, Cypher. And you know why I’m here.”  
Cypher is incensed at the lack of respect from the program standing below him.  
“IDENTIFY!”  
While Cypher and Sam play their game of chess, Beck has reached the rebellion safe house. He only had to derezz three guards on his way. He enters his code and lets Paige and Mara know he has returned.  
“Mara, Paige, it’s time!”  
Paige is the first to greet him.  
“Beck, you’re back. Time for what?”  
“It’s time to finish this war. We need to get to the arena. Sam is already there. We’re going to take Cypher and the guards down.”  
“There still aren’t enough of us, Beck,” Mara says. “We need the other rebel cells to help us fight.”  
“Able has already been in contact with his alliance. They’re on their way to the gaming grid as we speak. We need to get moving.”  
As the rest of Beck’s team comes forward to join them, Paige still wonders if they can really win.  
“Beck, you realize we’re going up against a superior fighting force. This is a fight we may not walk away from.”  
“Paige, we’re not the only ones going into battle. I know you’re worried, but our job is to keep the Black Guard occupied. There is another planned battle that will take place simultaneously with ours. A program who once lost his way has returned. He is the key to defeating the Master Control Program.”  
“What are you talking about Beck,” Mara asks.  
Beck doesn’t have to choose his words as carefully as Sam did. These two words help his friends know they can win.  
“Tron lives.”  
With a new level of determination, Beck and his friends leave their safe house. They have to fight their way to the gaming grid, as the Master Control Program has informed Cypher of this turn of events while he was still trying to identify Sam and Quorra. Able’s rebel cell joined with them on the way. Meanwhile, Tron has successfully gotten Able and Alan to a light jet.   
“You two need to go. Able, once Alan is through the portal, meet me at the gaming grid. Alan, it’s been an honor to meet you. Good luck.”  
As Able enters the light jet, Alan sticks his hand out towards Tron. Taking Alan by the arm, it becomes a symbol of friendship.   
“Good luck to you Tron. I hope to see you again someday.”  
As they depart, Tron reactivates his light cycle, and makes his way towards his final battle with the MCP. Back at the arena, Cypher has grown irritated at the program taunting him.  
“For the last time, identify yourself, program!”  
“Come down here with Yori, Cypher, and we’ll tell you who we are.”  
Seeing no other way to end this, Yori speaks.  
“Only Tron would be so bold, Cypher. Will you keep your promise to let me repurpose him?”  
“As you wish, my dear. Let’s meet our opponents face to face.”  
Cypher and Yori now make their way down to the gaming floor. As they reach the bottom level, Sam and Quorra stand ready to fight.  
“You are a fool, Tron. Returning here has only guaranteed that you will be repurposed.  
“You’re the fool, Cypher. Tron isn’t here. I already told you twice before. I’m not a program.”  
“So the User has come to face me in battle. But you fail to realize, there are only two of you, I have an army.”  
“So do we.”   
A blast erupts through the walls of the arena under the spectators. Beck is driving the light runner with Mara and Paige behind him on their light cycles. Cypher laughs in amusement at the rebels flanking Sam.  
“This is your pathetic rebellion, User? Five of you cannot possibly hope to stand against my Black Guard.”  
While Cypher mocks Sam, members of the Black Guard join him ready for battle. As they finish entering the gaming grid, the rest of the rebels have entered through the hole Beck created. No longer amused, Cypher speaks again.  
“You have come prepared, User. It is inevitable that you will lose this fight. Before you die, retract your helmet, and have your companion do so as well.  
“Guess we should oblige him Quorra,” Sam says while almost laughing.  
Their helmets retract, and they now stand face to face with their enemies.  
“Sam Flynn, your attempts to defeat me are as pathetic as those of Tron. You will fall, and Yori will repurpose your pretty companion. You have yet to introduce her.”  
Tired of being taunted and threatened, Quorra speaks.  
“I don’t need Sam to introduce me, Cypher. My name is Quorra, and I’m not just another program. I’m the last of the ISO’s.


	25. The Portal

After the reintegration, there wasn’t much left of the landing pad leading to the portal. The destruction left a small strip for Able to land the light jet. He remains behind as Alan makes his way to the platform.  
“Good luck, Alan 1. We’re counting on you to help Tron.”  
“Don’t worry Able. Tron and I accomplished this once before. The MCP will be deactivated.”  
Now on the platform, Alan raises Flynn’s disk in the beam. Able watches for a moment, and when Alan is transported back to his own world, he makes his flight back to the Grid to help end the battle with Cypher and the MCP. Alan arrives back at ENCOM Tower, in the laser control room, to a very surprised and startled Lora.  
“Alan? How did you get back? Where are Sam and Quorra?”  
“They’re still on the other side of the screen. Sam sent me back to destroy the MCP.”  
“But if they’re still there, how are they going to get back? And what if the MCP sends you back again?”  
“I promise I’ll explain it all later, Lora. Right now, I have to get to my office. I’ve got to help Tron.”  
Lora doesn’t say anything further; she just follows Alan up the stairs to his office. When they get there he bypasses the MCP program, logging directly into Tron’s core lines of code.  
“Tron, this is a new line of code for your disk. Like before you need to insert the disk into the heart of the Master Control Program. Doing this will enable the program to be rewritten, if you do not succeed we will not be able to communicate again. Confirm.”  
“Confirmed, Alan. We thank you.”  
Alan signs off of his computer before the MCP can track and disable his program. On the Grid, Tron has retrieved his disk. Meeting up with Able who has now returned from the portal, they fly the light jet back to the Gaming grid, for the final confrontation with Master Control.


	26. Final Battle

Cypher and Yori are surprised at the survival of an ISO. Until this point Cypher had believed that the rebellion would be unable to withstand the onslaught of the Black Guard. With an ISO on the side of the Rebellion the entire outcome of his plan is now in jeopardy. He doesn’t let his fear show as he speaks to her and Sam.  
“An ISO. How fortuitous, your deresolution will make my triumph that much more meaningful. You have made a grievous error, User.”  
“The odds are against you Cypher. Our forces outnumber yours. And even if by some small miracle you were to win, I have another ace up my sleeve.”  
“And what, pray tell is that, Sam Flynn?”  
“Tron. He’s on his way to the MCP right now.”  
“No matter,” Cypher replies. “He will destroy the MCP and then I will destroy him. Without the MCP, I will rule the Grid.”  
“Your overconfidence is your weakness, Cypher. It was the same with CLU, and Sark before him.”  
Hearing the names of his failed predecessors’ only angers Cypher. He feels his programming is far better than theirs. Not waiting any longer he and Yori engage Sam and Quorra in combat while the rebels begin fighting the Black Guard. Beck, Mara, and Paige all stay together defending each other from opponents. While the Guards are far better trained, they don’t work together. Able and Beck’s rebels all work together in units, dodging and deflecting disks and batons. With the tide of battle against them, the guards are being derezzed. As the last few fall, Sam is still in battle with Cypher, and Quorra is only defending herself against Yori.  
“Give it up Cypher, your guards have fallen, it’s just you and me now.”  
“It’s not over until you derezz me, User. The Grid is mine!”  
Sam silently reengages in battle. Cypher manages to catch him on the arm with his own disk, where Rinzler hit him once before. The hit only serves to make Sam attack with more intensity. He dodges Cypher’s thrown disk, throwing his own back. Deftly dodging the projectile, Cypher charges as Sam’s disk returns to him. Again they’re fighting disk to disk in close quarters, while Quorra, still defending herself is trying to reason with Yori.  
“Yori, stop this. I haven’t even once tried to derezz you. What did Cypher tell you? How many lies did he say to get you to submit to being repurposed?”  
“Cypher told me the truth ISO. Tron isn’t the freedom fighter we all thought he was. He told me the ISO’s were still a threat to the grid. And Tron left me behind for this new Grid. He betrayed me!”  
“You can’t possibly believe all that Yori. Flynn brought Tron here to protect the Grid. To protect it from programs like Cypher and the MCP. If you think Tron left you, you’re mistaken.”  
“LIES! I know Tron left me! Nothing you can say will convince me otherwise.”  
Quorra knows she has to convince Yori of the truth. With one last hit, she knocks Yori’s disk to the floor.   
“I know nothing I can say will convince you Yori. So I’ll just have to show you.”  
She plays a memory disk, activating it like Flynn taught her. What plays is a recording of Flynn and Tron talking.   
“Flynn, what about Yori? You brought me here to protect this new Grid. Please tell me we’re not leaving Yori behind on the old one.”  
“No, Tron. I brought you here to help me build this Grid, along with CLU. And yes, I want you to be its protector. I just need to go back to the old grid one more time. I have to upgrade Yori’s programming to get her systems compatible with this one. When I’ve done that, I’ll bring her here. You have my word.”  
With the playback complete, Quorra speaks again.  
“Tron didn’t leave you Yori. He even requested Flynn bring you here. This recording was programmed into this disk. I found it in a secure location in Flynn’s safe house. He knew that if he ever had to reintegrate CLU, someone would have to be able to tell the story. He chose me.”  
Yori watched the entire recording and as it ended she didn’t move to reengage in battle. She still believes that all of this was an elaborate deception from the ISO. A way to force her to let her guard down, and suffer the fate of deresolution. When Quorra made no attempt to restart the fight, Yori retrieved her disk. Taking her baton she activated her own light cycle, and raced off to the MCP and to find Tron. These actions distracted Cypher and Sam as they heard Quorra call out.  
“Sam, Yori is getting away!”  
Turning towards her, Sam replies:  
“GO! Wherever she’s headed we have to stop her!”  
With his opponent distracted now, Cypher takes the moment to activate his own light cycle. He knows where Yori is headed, and he has to make it there before Quorra does. Sam and Quorra both see Cypher ride off in pursuit and make for the light runner. As they prepare to leave, another group of the Black Guards enters the fight. They both hesitate until Beck calls out to them.  
“Sam, Quorra go! You have to stop Cypher and Yori. We can handle this!”


	27. Confrontation

Able and Tron have arrived for the final confrontation with the MCP. They are unaware that they are about to have company. As they emerge from the light jet, the MCP speaks to them.  
“You were foolish to come here programs. My power has grown exponentially since I took control of the Grid. Abandon all hope you have for my destruction. Your only fate is deresolution or to be repurposed.”  
Tron is undeterred at the coming battle before him. He was able to defeat the original MCP and has no doubts he can beat this one.  
“Empty threats Master Control. If you know who I am, you know I defeated your predecessor.”  
“Tron, the program who fights for the Users. CLU was a fool to repurpose you. You should have been deresolutioned instead. If he had done this properly you would not be here.”  
“CLU failed. He never realized I was stronger than him. He’s gone, and you will be as well.”  
As Tron begins the fight to get his disk into the heart of the MCP, Able flanks him providing protection. The MCP had summoned guards to assist before Able and Tron arrived. They now face a fight on both fronts. As they fight side by side, the guards begin to fall. Only two remain as the sound of approaching light cycles distract all the combatants involved. Turning to see the new arrivals Able takes his eyes off of his opponent just for a moment. As Yori and Cypher deactivate their light cycles, the guard slices his disk through Able’s chest, derezzing him. Having defeated his own opponent, Tron turns to see his friend fall and rushes to his side.  
“NO! Able, you…”  
“Tron, I’m done. This has always been your fight. Protect the…”  
Able isn’t able to finish what he wanted to say. With the Guard still standing over him, Tron looks up and slices his own disk through his opponent. Before Cypher can attack, they all hear the light runner stop, with Sam and Quorra rushing to Tron’s side.  
“It’s over Cypher. You’re still outnumbered,” Sam says. “End this fight.”  
“Never, User. Derezz me, if you can.”  
Continuing their fight from earlier is the only way to end this. Quorra immediately moves to reengage with Yori, who confronts Tron instead.  
“You left me, Tron. Left me on the old Grid. Why?”  
“I didn’t leave you Yori. Flynn brought me here, promised he would bring you as well. He kept his promise.”  
“LIES! The ISO showed me a recording of you and Flynn talking. I still don’t believe it.”  
“You don’t have to believe the recording, Yori. Believe me instead. All that you saw was true. I did ask Flynn to bring you here. He said he had to update your programming first. Look inside, push past what Cypher did to you.”  
With the confession Tron made to her, Yori starts to break through the repurposing. She begins to remember everything she and Tron shared with each other. As the memories begin to overwhelm her, she falls to her knees, looking up she speaks:  
“Tron?”  
Before she can get back to her feet, the MCP pulls Tron back inside his protective walls, intending to erase him.  
“Our fight is not yet finished Tron. Once I erase you, there will no longer be any resistance to my continued control of the Grid.”  
Outside, Quorra and Yori could only watch, horrified. Even Cypher couldn’t believe what he just saw. He had stopped fighting Sam to watch, but this action ended up being his last mistake. As he turned back to battle, Sam threw his disk straight towards Cypher’s head. When it connected it sliced through just like when Tron defeated Sark on the old Grid. With one enemy defeated, Sam goes to stand beside Quorra.  
“Quorra, where’s Tron,” he asks.  
“Sam, the MCP has him. He’s in there, fighting.”  
“Then I have to get in there also. Tron will need my help!”  
Sam starts to run towards the MCP, now fully recovered Yori catches his arm.  
“No, Sam. You can’t. Tron has to finish this. This is his fight and his alone.”  
“So we just let this happen? Tron could be…”   
Sam can’t finish his thoughts as a blinding light explodes out from the MCP’s chamber. Sam, Quorra and Yori are all knocked off of their feet when the force of the blast hits them a moment later. As they begin to recover a lone figure emerges from the light, obscuring his form. Not sure who is walking towards them, Sam raises his disk in defense. As the light fades back, the program speaks.  
“I fight for the Users.”  
Sam, Quorra and Yori are stunned to see Tron standing before them. His armor has turned white and his circuitry now glows bright blue. In total silence, the three of them know they have witnessed what amounts to a miracle for the Grid. The war is finally over, and Flynn’s dream has been realized. A free Grid for all the programs he created. Yori is finally the first to speak.  
“Tron! You did it. We’re free.”  
“You’re free Yori. Whatever Cypher did to you, the repurposing of your disk, your memories. It’s all gone. Sam, none of this would have been possible if you hadn’t come back.”  
“No, Tron. It was the MCP who made me come back. But like my father, I was your guide. Now it’s time for Quorra and I to go home.”


	28. Home

Using the light jet, Tron and Yori fly Sam and Quorra back to the portal. The flight goes by in silence, Sam and Quorra are heading back to ENCOM, while Tron and Yori are set to begin a new life on the free Grid. As they depart the light jet, Tron has to ask Sam one question.  
“Why don’t you and Quorra stay, Sam? Yori and I could use your help rebuilding.”  
“We can’t stay Tron. Quorra and I have a life on the other side to get back too. I have to help Alan deal with the fallout my company will be facing from the MCP nearly taking it down.”  
Agreeing with Sam, Quorra speaks next.  
“Sam’s right Tron. We belong out there. I know we’re leaving the Grid in good hands though.”  
Sam hands Tron a communication device, his final gift to his new friend.  
“What is this Sam,” Tron asks.  
“It’s a way to contact me. If you ever need us, all you have to do is page me.”  
Tron looks down at the device in his hand as Sam and Quorra approach the portal. When Sam raises his disk in the beam, Tron and Yori wave good-bye as the User and the ISO return to their home. When they arrive they are back in the Arcade, with Alan and Lora waiting.  
“Welcome back, Sam. Welcome back Quorra,” Alan says.  
“It’s good to be home. ENCOM?”  
“In good shape. The MCP has been eradicated from the system, and OS 12 is operating better than before. It’s over,” Lora says.  
“What about Dillinger, both of them?”  
“Jr. is in the hospital. He made a mistake trying to tamper with the MCP’s programming. Legal has been in contact with the F.B.I’s computer fraud division. Dillinger Sr. is about to be arrested for corporate espionage. The Board wants to initiate a buy-out of his company.”  
“Then it is over. Dad would be proud.”  
Quorra looks over at Sam, also proud of him.  
“Come on Sam, let’s go home.”  
The Board bought out Dillinger’s company. He was arrested for his actions in trying to bring ENCOM down. Dillinger Jr. was released from the hospital a few months later, but his punishment was less severe than his father’s. Sam allowed him to stay on at ENCOM, but only as an assistant to Lora. Six months after their trip to the Grid, Sam and Quorra married. The explosion of the MCP was heard all the way to the Gaming Grid. The Rebels were able to defeat the remaining Black Guards. Tron and Yori kept the Grid free, with Beck as the new protector.


End file.
